Blurred background for photos instead of black bars

[xconverge]

I would love a setting for using the same photo but blurred as the background behind a photo, so that instead of black bars, there is a more seamless view. You might need to layer 2 image views, not sure if this is doable with the current architecture

I know this was reported before as part of other issues that were completed (#237, #145, #243), but I want to be able to subscribe/watch this issue to be notified for this feature itself

[theothernt]

I'm hoping to add this feature to the release after the next one (v1.8.0)

That release will focus on a lot of photo related functionality.

[theothernt]

No update on this feature yet, it's a lot trickier than I expected. Plus I am trying to keep memory usage low and not load the same image twice.

I hope to have an update during the v1.8.1 beta phase in a few weeks.

[theothernt]

Small update. It should be in 1.8.2 as I have a version working but it's using newer Android features. I should be able to get it working using older methods though.

[theothernt]

If you have time, you should try the latest public beta :)

[scotto-red]

I have tested the background blur feature and would like to share my findings.

Test Environment:

Device: TCL TV (Android TV 12)

App Version: 1.8.2-beta12

Results:

The feature works as expected with photos accessed via SMB.

However, it does not work with photos stored on the TV’s internal storage.

Feedback:
Currently, the "blur opacity" value seems to adjust the brightness of the blurred area. I believe "opacity" should refer to the intensity of the blur rather than its brightness, so the current naming is a bit misleading. Ideally, it would be great if users could adjust the brightness and the blur intensity independently.

[theothernt]

The feature works as expected with photos accessed via SMB.
However, it does not work with photos stored on the TV’s internal storage.

I've re-written a lot of the image loading + blurring code. Let me know if that fixes the issue?

(I've done some testing on the Android 12 emulator with local, SMB and Immich playback - seems ok but not always the same as a real device)

Feedback: Currently, the "blur opacity" value seems to adjust the brightness of the blurred area. I believe "opacity" should refer to the intensity of the blur rather than its brightness, so the current naming is a bit misleading. Ideally, it would be great if users could adjust the brightness and the blur intensity independently.

I've made some changes to that setting screen. You now have a) Blur opacity to show more or less of the black/white background and b) Blur intensity which controls the strength (radious) of the blur.

The updated beta has been submitted but might take 12 hours to appear.

[scotto-red]

I have tested beta13 and would like to share the results.

Results:

For photos accessed via SMB, the background blur feature worked as expected.
Both Blur Opacity and Blur Intensity also functioned correctly without any issues.

However, for photos saved to the TV’s internal storage, this feature does not work at all. The screen simply displays a solid gray background.
This issue still occurs even when the blur feature is disabled.

[theothernt]

However, for photos saved to the TV’s internal storage, this feature does not work at all. The screen simply displays a solid gray background. This issue still occurs even when the blur feature is disabled.

That's for testing the update. I've now fixed the local media problem, I'll submit the update soon.

EDIT: Beta14 is live. Sometimes updated are approved is less than an hour.

[scotto-red]

I tested beta15, so I would like to share the results.

The background blur feature now works correctly for photos stored in the TV’s internal storage.
Thank you very much.

[theothernt]

I tested beta15, so I would like to share the results.

The background blur feature now works correctly for photos stored in the TV’s internal storage. Thank you very much.

Thanks for letting me know, glad it's working well!